Chapter 3

"Emily! You're getting half your pay docked today. A customer just complained about you for taking too long and having a bad attitude," the boss said coldly as soon as the call connected.

I replied, "I gave her the coffee within the time limit. I wasn't slow.

"She thought it was slow because she was in a hurry.

"And she was yelling at me, but I didn't say a word back. How was my attitude bad?"

"The customer is always right. If you knew she was in a hurry, why didn't you work faster? Why didn't you try to calm her down?" the boss said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I was so mad it was almost funny.

I stand here for ten hours a day at this cafe, more exhausted than a pack mule, all for just 30 dollars, and now he's blaming me for not soothing a cranky customer?

"Mr. Webster, I didn't do anything wrong. You can't just dock my pay for no reason," I said calmly. I couldn't even be bothered to argue.

"I'm docking your pay, and that's final. What are you gonna do about it, you broke student?" the boss sneered, all high and mighty.

Emily Jennings was powerless against him.

But now, I was Emily Andrus.

He had no idea I had the call on speaker, and Tiffany heard every word.

Now that I've been given a second chance, I already knew the boss had been showing up at Andrus Group every day lately, trying to get funding.

Sure enough, Tiffany's face darkened as soon as she heard those words. She shot back coldly, "Mr. Webster, with the way you're treating my daughter, do you really expect us to fund you?"

Kit Webster recognized Tiffany's voice, and his attitude instantly went from cocky to desperate, and he started apologizing nonstop.

I hung up on him before he could say another word.

Honestly, even though the Andrus family was hell, being the Andrus Group heiress still came in handy sometimes.

At least it put that greedy boss in his place for once.

Without Andrus Group's funding, the cafe's dream of going public was totally doomed now.

*****

As I followed Tiffany into their villa, Zelda rushed over to hug me, just like last time, her face full of excitement.

But instead of being flattered and hugging her back like I did last time, I held out my hand to stop her and said coolly, "I've been working all day, and I'm all sweaty. Don't want to get your white dress dirty."

Zelda froze, looking awkward, then bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes. She said in a trembling voice, "It's all my fault for taking your place. That's why you've had to suffer. I'm really useless. I couldn't even help Harry."

Just as the Andrus couple were about to step forward to comfort Zelda, like they always did, I nodded and replied coolly, "It's fine that you couldn't help Harry. I can. But from now on, you can't keep pestering him to sneak off to bars with you.

"And don't ask him to take you up the mountain to set off fireworks, or down to the beach to watch the sunrise.

"Otherwise, forget about me. Even God himself couldn't save Harry."

The Andrus couple froze in their tracks.

'What? Harry was already seriously ill and needed to rest, and Zelda was actually dragging him out for all that?

'There was no way his body could take that.

'No wonder Harry's condition had suddenly gotten so much worse lately,' they thought.

My birth father, Paul, slammed his hand down on the table, making the cups rattle everywhere.

He shouted, "Enough of this nonsense."

Tiffany's eyes, which had been full of sympathy, were now filled with disappointment and reproach.

They cared about Zelda, but she wasn't their biological daughter.

Harry, on the other hand, was their own son, and the future heir to the Andrus Group.

Zelda was stunned. She honestly had no clue how I found out about all this.

She shot me a bitter glare, and her tears started flowing even harder.

"Emily, I know you hate me for taking your place all these years," she said, her voice trembling.

"But you can't just come home and randomly accuse me like this.

"Why would I ever go to some gross bar? And I would never ask Harry to do any of that stuff with me."

She insisted, her voice full of conviction and her tear-streaked face looking so pitiful it was almost heartbreaking.